Bmaj13

Bmaj13 is B, D#, F#, A#, C# and G#, a major thirteenth. The shape this page opens on is written x22344, lowest string first.

Note by note. B is the root, D# is the major third, F# is the fifth, A# is the major seventh, C# is the ninth and G# is the thirteenth.

Also written BM13, BΔ13 or B major 13. The same chord either way; which spelling you meet depends on who wrote the chart.

There are 6 common shapes for Bmaj13 on the guitar, and 47 derived voicings in 4 families.

One note away. Change a single note of Bmaj13 and you have Bmaj9 (with one note taken away), Bmaj11 (with one note moved), B69 (with one note taken away) or B13 (with one note moved).

In which keys. Every note of Bmaj13 belongs to Eb minor (the ♭VI), F# major (the IV), Ab minor (the ♭III) and B major (the I).

The common shapes, written lowest string first: x22344, 766676, 778897, x-11-9-9-11-11, x-14-13-13-11-11, x-14-11-13-11-11.

Under the hand. None of the shapes for Bmaj13 uses an open string, so every one of them is movable; the lowest sits at the 2nd fret. 4 of the 6 need a barre. Together they cover the neck from the 2nd fret to the 14th.

Shell. Root, third and seventh: the guide tones fix the quality, so the fifth is dropped. That is what leaves a string free, so pick a tension to put on top. Bmaj13 has x2x344, 7x889x.

Drop 2. A close-position chord with the second voice from the top lowered an octave. Sits on four adjacent strings. Bmaj13 has x1110x, xx6446, 6664xx, xx8897, x-13-13-13-12-x, 4213xx, xx1304, x2634x.

Drop 3. The third voice from the top lowered an octave. The dropped voice becomes the bass, which is why a string is skipped. Bmaj13 has 4x130x, x2x344, 6x644x, x-11-x-8-11-7, 7x889x, 11-x-9-13-11-x, x-13-x-13-12-11, x6x496.

Rootless. The root left to the bass player. Frees a finger for a tension. Bmaj13 has x1112x, xx4344, xx6646, xx6876, xx8899, x9889x, x-x-11-13-11-11, x-11-13-11-11-x.

Tensions. A shell of Bmaj13, root, third and seventh, leaves a string free, and the tones that belong over it are the #11 (E#).

What kind of chord this is. Bmaj13 is a major chord — root, major third, fifth. major chords on every root, and what they are for.

The common shapes and the derived voicings come from different places, and both are explained in where the chords and the theory come from.